Good feeling a key factor in Wright’s new deal at Corby

Jon Dunham

Tommy Wright insists the good feeling at Corby Town was a key factor in him committing his immediate future to the club.

The Steelmen boss signed a new deal at Steel Park yesterday (Monday), which will keep him at the club until the end of next season.

It is just reward for a job well done so far after Wright took sole charge of Corby during the summer following a takeover by a consortium of local businessmen.

Wright was initially appointed as joint-manager alongside Andrew Wilson by previous chairman Kevin Ingram in September last year.

But since taking the reins on his own, he has led the Steelmen up the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division and transformed them into genuine title contenders.

Corby currently sit level on points with leaders Poole Town and second-placed Weymouth ahead of their clash with Histon at Steel Park on New Year’s Day (1pm), a game which is set to attract another bumper attendance.

And Wright said: “The whole feel of the place is very good at the moment.

“The club seems a lot more structured this season and there are people here who are doing it because they want the best for Corby, they aren’t in it for themselves.

“And it has been a massive help to see the fans turning up in bigger numbers.

“I think that comes from the success on the pitch more than anything and the more supporters who turn up, the more chance there is of a bit of extra money becoming available to help us bring in good players.”

Corby’s rise this season wouldn’t have gone unnoticed and, given Wright’s young age as a manager, he may well already be on the radar of clubs from a higher level.

He confirmed that was something that had been spoken about in conversations with chairman Stevie Noble ahead of penning a new deal.

And the manager is also hoping that him committing to the club will also help keep the current squad together after he revealed that Vanarama Conference North club Brackley Town had made an approach for midfielder Shane Byrne.

“The chairman and I sat down and had a conversation about things,” Wright added.

“I guess there will always be attention when you are doing a decent job and I just said to the chairman that I didn’t want to be taking the phone calls that are tapping me up.

“There have been approaches for some of the players, one being Brackley Town coming in for Shane Byrne.

“As far as that is concerned, I think it is almost dead. I believe Shane is happy here and while I would never stand in anyone’s way, I don’t believe that would be a good move for him.

“But hopefully me signing a new deal will show the players that I am in it for the long haul.”

Don’t miss more reaction to Tommy Wright’s new deal and a news ahead of the Steelmen’s matches this week in Thursday’ Northamptonshire Telegraph